Power Video

Fliqz Quikvid Toolbar

Shameless self-promotion alert: The Fliqz Quikvid toolbar is now available. The toolbar, the first of its kind, sits in your IE 6+ menu bar, allowing you to upload videos and receive an instant embed code directly from the browser. Now, when you’re ready to add video to your site, you don’t have to click away from the page you’re uploading to. Quikvid remembers your upload history in case you want to embed videos on multiple sites. And there are no registration requirements to install the toolbar.

Don’t say we never did anything to help make your life easier.

Calling a Spade a Spade

Citing YouTube’s problems in getting basic services right—simple stuff, like getting videos to play—Dan Rayburn calls YouTube “the most overrated, over hyped company ever in this industry.”

It’s still early in the day for us to work ourselves into a YouTube lather, so thanks, Dan, for saving us the trouble.

Behind Every Silver Lining…

While we admit our bias at rejoicing over all the recent surveys about increased online video penetration, it seems some people just can’t be happy. The Wall Street Journal (via the Miami Herald) reports research analysts are worried that bandwidth-intensive applications like online video are putting a terrible strain on broadband networks. One analyst even warns of brownouts or service slowdowns this year as the Internet approaches full capacity.

Much of this hand wringing is fodder for the whole network neutrality debate. For others, it’s about the expense of delivering video content online to keep up with bandwidth requirements.

It’s always good to keep things in perspective (wouldn’t want any of that “irrational exuberance” to rear its ugly head), but to us it seems a little early for the party poopers to make an appearance. Online video is just beginning to get rolling in the mainstream, and everyone is still figuring out how to move forward. While it isn’t prudent to latch on to any company that professes to be the next big thing in online video, negative hype can be just as destructive.

Don't Be (Too) Evil

Apparently, Google just doesn’t make enough money from selling text ads. That’s why as of late Tuesday, YouTube began displaying ads on select videos. You can read about it here. And here, here, and here.

There’s a lot of crying in a lot of beer from YouTube devotees today. Ads in their precious commercial-free online video haven. From the company who’s mantra is “Don’t Be Evil,” no less. Next thing you know corporation sponsorships will take over a sacred event like the Olympics. Oh, wait.

To Google’s credit, the choice of 15-second overlay ads instead of pre- or post-roll was smart. As is the fact that you can make it disappear with the click of a mouse. We’re not sure how well advertisers will cotton to Google’s flat rate of $20 CPM. So much for all that pay-per-performance stuff, but hey—nice work if you can get it.

Irony aside, Google knows there’s money to be made in this space. Why? Because people are watching According to Comscore, nearly 75 percent of U.S. Internet users streamed online video in May, averaging more than two streams per day. That’s why the money keeps pouring in. Last week, social-networking video firm KickApps secured $11 million in its second round of funding.

We’ll take today’s news as a testament to the strength of this sector. Even if it does come from Google.

Video Marketing Strategies, Vol. 1

Online video isn’t just about news and entertainment. It can also be an integral part of a business’ marketing strategy. Future of Real Estate Marketing, a blog for realtors run by Joel Burslem, a marketing and public relations veteran, has a great post about whether video can help realtors drive business.

Burslem focuses on the fact that video search is still a “fringe activity,” and that text-based searches will deliver more potential customers. But he’s aware of how much video is growing and that it can help a realtor’s marketing efforts.

Of all the vertical markets, real estate is one of the most conducive for video marketing for the obvious reason that people like to see the property they’re interested in. If they can get an idea of what the property looks like before seeing it in person, so much the better. And it can help weed out customers who wouldn’t be interested in a particular space (talk about targeted search). According to this follow-up post, video is working quite well for some realtors.

Burslem offers examples of what he thinks works and what doesn’t, and his advice is sound. But while it’s important to know how to make an effective video, marketers also need to know about the types of tools available to them. Your audience wants to know more about you, not the fact that you used YouTube or Yahoo to post your video. It’s all about branding, and your brand is the one that should be front and center.

Add Video to Your eBay Auctions

We know how much you like to hear about practical applications for using online video. That’s why we’ve made it simple for you to upload video to your eBay auctions. The eBay Video Uploader automatically generates an embed code that you paste into your eBay item Description field. Quick, simple, efficient.

Adobe's "Moviestar"

The latest version of the ubiquitous Adobe Flash Player, codename Moviestar, will support the H.264 video compression standard. That’s the same standard used in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD video players. The public beta of version 9 is available beginning today, with the final release expected in the fall.

The image quality of online video has long been the complaint of all the naysayers. You know, the ones who don’t believe there’s a real business model to be found. With Adobe on board the H.264 bandwagon, expect high quality Web video to become the norm very soon.

Mythbuster

Everything you believe about online video is wrong. At least that’s what Jose Castillo says in this piece for Streamingmedia.com. He debunks seven myths about online video, including such tropes as “Traditional businesses can’t make money using online video” and “Online video is for web-savvy people and companies.”

Essential reading for anyone creating—or thinking about creating—online video content.

Did You Watch My Resume?

There’s been a lot of buzzing in the media lately about the proliferation of video resumes. To be sure, there are pitfalls for both the job seeker (embarrassment) and the prospective employer (discrimination lawsuits). But what’s worth celebrating is that inexpensive equipment and easy-to-use online video solutions have made the video resume an appealing option in a highly competitive job market, so much so that Stephen J. Dubner of Freakonomics fame wonders why video resumes aren’t more popular.

One thing is clear: it’s not just corporations that understand the power of video to develop their brands. Individuals understand this, too.

YouTube Takes a Baby Step

YouTube users can now customize their video players with their own color schemes, names, and playlists. When you share your videos with others, they get to see your customized player.

Very nice. But the new features only serve to highlight what’s lacking. The choices of themes and layouts are extremely limited. And, as always, YouTube is all about boosting traffic—theirs. True customization means the ability to create an online video player with the look and feel you want, one that promotes your brand and boosts your traffic.

It’s a step in the right direction, but there should be a lot more “you” involved when it comes to customized online video solutions.